Moving On
by lol1
Summary: When elements of Annabelle's past begin to surface, her classmates see a new side to her, and she starts to deal with what brought her to the school in the first place. KellyAnnabelle... eventually
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I clearly don't own this: if I did I wouldn't be writing about it here.

AN: This will be a Kelly/Annabelle story, but will probably take it's time getting there.

Timeline: Takes place about a month after The Heist.

Title: Moving On

Part One

Annabelle Fritton sat up from her bed with a cry, pulling at her wrists. She was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, her sheets were all bunched up around her, and she was breathing heavily. She looked around her sparsely decorated sleeping area, and then out at the dormitory around her. Most of the girls were still fast asleep, but Polly, Chelsea and Chloe were all looking over at her in concern. They all looked as though they'd just been woken up. Memories of her bad dream came flooding back to her, and she realised that she'd probably been the one to do it. She stole a glance at the time on her mobile: 4:10. Crap, it had happened again. She'd never managed to wake any of the other girls before now, but as she remembered; this had been a particularly bad dream. She looked up at the other girls again; Chelsea and Chloe were looking at each other, neither seeming to know quite what to say to her. Polly was looking at her, she seemed to be about to say something.

Annabelle stood up abruptly, "just, uh, off to the bathroom."

"Annabelle-,"

"Don't worry Polly, just go back to sleep, I'm okay." She made her way quickly out of the dormitory, and instead of turning left to go into the bathroom, she made her way downstairs and outside to get some air. As she threw open the main front door of the school she gasped at the sudden change in temperature. It was getting a lot colder now, and she noticed that the leaves were beginning to change. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body and breathed deeply. Finally her racing heart began to slow, and her head began to clear.

This needed to stop. Every night since the big heist at the National Gallery she had been having the dreams. Nearly a month had passed and they had only become more vivid, and more disturbing as time went on. Every night she woke up with that same falling sensation, covered in sweat, her heart racing, and unable to catch her breath. This was the first time she had woken anyone else up. She dreaded the questions she knew she'd get in the morning. She slowly lowered herself to the step, and put her head in her hands. What was she going to say to them? This could not get out, and yet, she knew it would if she didn't find a way to stop these nightmares.

Maybe medicating herself to the point of being almost comatose would work, but she wasn't quite ready to go that far. She supposed exhausting herself could do the trick. A nice long run or an extra hockey practice before bed perhaps. She resolved to try that the next night. Now what excuse should she give the girls? She knew that if her story was not satisfactory, Polly would go straight to Kelly, and that was the last thing she wanted. Annabelle had been getting closer to the Head Girl as she tutored her a bit in the ways of St. Trinian's, but she wasn't ready for her to know everything about why she had come to the school. Kelly had her ways of getting information out of people, and Annabelle realised that the best way to stop it happening was to not let her friend find out there was information to extract.

She could say something about monsters, vampires, werewolves or the like, but she knew it wouldn't be especially believable after she had shared with the girls her collection of bizarre and old school horror movies, each one more graphic and disgusting than the last. Almost every one of them had been completely freaked out after just a few films, while Annabelle had been grinning widely at the screen, and giving a running commentary of her favourite parts to Kelly and Andrea, with whom she had been sharing a sofa and a bowl of popcorn.

She supposed she could pass it off as just a bad dream, and say she had them from time to time, but it was nothing to worry about. The only problem with that was that she knew she'd probably keep having the dreams unless her plan to go running worked, and she didn't hold out much hope for that. A half truth might work, she decided. If she censored the full story considerably, hopefully she wouldn't be asked too many further questions.

She leaned her head back against the pillar behind her and sighed deeply. She was still feeling a bit dizzy, and her wrists ached with the memory of her ordeal. The only person in the school who knew what had happened was her aunt, and aside from a few derisory comments about the school, she had yet to mention Cheltenham Ladies' College, and what they had done to her while she was there.

*

Faint light was beginning to peak over the hills in the distance when Annabelle finally made her way back inside. Thankfully everyone else in the dormitory was sleeping when she returned; at least she wouldn't have to make her excuses quite yet. She got back into her bed, and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the dormitory at night, of everyone around her fast asleep. Taylor was mumbling softly about something Annabelle couldn't make out, someone was breathing loudly, though she couldn't tell who, and the muffled sound of music was coming from headphones that had long fallen out of Andrea's ears. She didn't find sleep again that night.

TBC

Let me know if you want to read more. L


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: in the first part, so go there if you want to read it.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part. Hope you enjoy this just as much.

Part Two

Annabelle got out of bed that morning and stole into the shower before anyone else's alarm went off. When the first trickle of girls entered the shower room, she left, quickly dressed and went down to breakfast. She'd need coffee if she was going to get through the day, especially given what Kelly had whispered in her ear last night after dinner. Apparently the head girl had some 'business' to attend to, and required Annabelle's assistance. She had no idea what her friend had meant by that, but she was certainly intrigued.

She was nearly finished inhaling her second mug of hot coffee, when someone sat next to her. She looked left and sure enough, it was Polly.

"Morning Polly," she greeted the other girl. Hopefully she had forgotten all about her early morning awakening, though Annabelle knew this was unlikely considering the fact that it was Polly sitting next to her.

"Morning. I didn't hear you come back in last night. Where did you disappear to?" The geek looked at her over the top of her glasses. Annabelle hated that look. One of her old nannies used to look at her like that when she refused to do as she was told.

"Well, I went outside to get some air, lost track of time," she smiled lightly, "why? Are you keeping tabs on me?" She realised it was a stupid question, everyone at St. Trinian's kept tabs on everyone else – how else would they get blackmail material?

"Of course not," of course, they could never admit to it outside their own cliques. "I was just concerned. It sounded like you were having a pretty horrible dream."

"I'm fine Polly," she smiled at the older girl, "you don't need to worry about me. It was just a bad dream – a remnant from my days at Cheltenham. Every so often, I have a bad dream, but it's nothing to worry about."

Polly gave her an odd look that Annabelle couldn't make out. "Well, if you're sure you're okay." She wasn't convinced that the geek believed her, but at least she was leaving her alone for now.

"I am. A bit of fresh air always sorts me out. That and coffee." She held up her cup and smiled, then reached for the pot in the middle of the table and poured herself another cup. "Want some?"

*

That afternoon after Annabelle's last class had ended (history, on the role of women in the French Resistance during World War II) Kelly caught up to her on the way up to the dormitory to change for hockey practice. "Get changed and get your coat Fritton, it's time to go."

"Don't we have hockey this afternoon?" She asked, confused.

"Not today. I told you we had some business to take care of this afternoon." Kelly stopped at the door of her room.

"And what exactly is this business?" Annabelle asked, remembering the head girl's words, but confused; usually, Kelly's little outings took place under the cover of darkness.

"Nothing major, it's just a little reconnaissance mission. Wear dark clothes, trousers, and shoes you can walk through a wood in." She grinned at Annabelle, "this should be fun, no real danger involved this time."

"Alright, if you say so. I'm definitely up for getting out for a bit at the very least." Annabelle smiled back, "I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes then?"

"In the garage, we'll be taking my bike." Kelly disappeared into her room before she could see Annabelle's grin grow wider. She loved bikes. Luke had had a bike.

*

Ten minutes later, the two girls were assembled, and ready to go. As per Kelly's instructions, Annabelle was wearing tight dark blue jeans, black boots and a fitted black leather jacket. Kelly's jeans were black, and her jacket, though leather, was not so fitted as Annabelle's. Both girls were wearing sunglasses.

Kelly nodded in approval, and handed Annabelle a black helmet, donning one herself. "Ever ridden on a bike before?" She asked.

"Yes, I even have my licence," she smiled softly, remembering. "An old friend taught me."

"Alright," Annabelle could tell Kelly hadn't expected that one, but she shook her head and climbed onto the bike. "Good, let's go then. The helmets have built in microphones, so we can talk on the way up the road."

"Excellent. So are you ever going to tell me where we're going?" Annabelle asked, as she pulled her helmet on and climbed on behind the head girl, putting her arms around her waist.

"Well, our next match is an away game against Cheltenham. We've never played there before, so we need to scope it out." Annabelle's heart leapt into her chest and she sat back, away from Kelly, immediately feeling the loss of warmth. "Also, the first years want to make it interesting, cause a little chaos, so we need to find some sites they can set up an ambush and lay explosives."

"So why did you bring me, and not one of them?" Annabelle asked, hoping her voice didn't sound too high pitched.

"I would have thought that was obvious. You know your way around. You'll be able to find the best spots more easily. Not only that; hopefully you'll stop us getting caught.

"Oh, right, of course." Annabelle sighed, she really did not want to have to go back to that place, but evidently Cheltenham Ladies and St Trinian's were in the same hockey league, and she'd be playing them quite regularly anyway, so she supposed she'd just have to get used to it. "Well let's go then. Hockey practice doesn't finish till six on Tuesdays, so if we make good time we can catch about 45 minutes of it."

*

As they cruised up the M5 towards Cheltenham, Annabelle realised she was really quite comfortable. She'd only ever ridden on the back of a bike with Luke. Luke was a large rugby player, so had been rather muscular, and despite his size, not much of a pillow. Kelly on the other hand, was really very soft. Annabelle could tell now that she was in very good shape, but was still cosy to snuggle up to. Annabelle leaned back slightly, not enough to lose her balance, and shook her head: all these sleepless nights were really beginning to take their toll, and she really didn't want to fall asleep just now.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer in the first part.

Thanks so much everyone for the kind reviews, I appreciate them!!

Chapter Three

As they got further up the road, closer and closer to the other school, Annabelle's breaths started to come faster, her throat felt tight and her heart was hammering inside her chest. It was only the sound of the engine on Kelly's bike that stopped her from hearing her own heart beat, and she knew that if she could see her hands, she'd see them shaking.

She was absolutely dreading this. At any other school, this mission would have probably been fantastic fun, especially with Kelly alongside her, but this school, her own former school... She, understandably in her opinion, still hadn't got past what had happened to her there earlier in the year, and was terrified that faced with going back to the scene of the crime, she would freeze up, and become a liability.

She supposed that at least she wouldn't be going back for the first time during that hockey match, so at least that wouldn't get ruined, but she didn't relish the idea of having to do this all over again in a few days time.

She decided she needed to warn Kelly, as she didn't want to risk them being caught if something happened. As the two girls neared the outskirts of Cheltenham, Annabelle finally spoke up, "Kelly, do you mind if we pull over for a bit? There's a petrol station coming up on your left."

"Sure thing, everything okay?" Kelly asked, curiously, but knowing they couldn't really talk about anything properly over their in-helmet microphones.

"Yes, just pull over and I'll explain." Annabelle squeezed Kelly's waist slightly, to let her know everything was okay.

Kelly spotted the petrol station ahead and indicated to turn. By her estimations, they were nearly in town, around another ten minutes from the school. The bike slowed to a halt in the car park off to the side of the petrol station, and Annabelle, not waiting for Kelly to put down the kickstand, jumped off, bending over, placing her hands on her knees and taking some deep breaths. A few minutes later, she straightened up and turned around, pulling off her helmet and shaking out her hair. Kelly was watching her worriedly, her own helmet under her arm. "Annabelle, are you okay, are you road sick?"

"No, that's not what it was, and no, I'm not really okay." Annabelle moved slowly back over to Kelly, and stood opposite her, the bike in between them.

"Why, what is it?" the Head Girl looked really concerned now, and Annabelle felt quite guilty, especially as she had no intention of telling her the whole truth yet. She didn't want that getting out any sooner than it had to, and no matter how much she trusted her new friend, she was planning on lying to her in the name of self preservation. She was sure the real story would get out some day, and when it did, she would apologise for her half truths, but for now, she just wasn't ready for anyone else to know all the details.

"I just want to warn you about something." She began; it was harder than she had thought to find the words she needed, and she wasn't really sure what she'd say until after she'd said it. "When we get there, I might freeze up a bit, I just...what happened to me there was...well, I didn't come to St Trinian's without a bloody good reason. I have some very bad memories of Cheltenham. And look, I'm not really ready to share them with you yet, but I just need you to know that I might...well, I might just need a bit of help snapping out of it." The words spewed from her mouth like word vomit, and she needed to take a deep breath afterwards. Well, she supposed she at least hadn't lied. She sat down on a low wall next to where Kelly had parked the bike.

Kelly watched her, bemused, "Annabelle, you should have said something before now. If you can't cope with this, we can go back and I'll bring one of the other girls. I just need you to draw me a map." She walked around to Annabelle's side of the bike, and gently placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Annabelle inhaled sharply, casting her eyes down to Kelly's hand. "I'm okay, really, I just needed a minute. I think I should try to do this, you know, I don't want to have to miss our game, and well, I enjoy our little excursions." She grinned weakly up at her friend.

Kelly smiled back softly, sitting down and putting her arm around the shoulders of the younger girl. "Listen Annabelle, whatever you want is fine, I just don't want you to make things worse for yourself. I know you've been having nightmares. It's fine if you want us to go back."

Annabelle took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I don't. I'll be alright." She didn't have a clue how Kelly knew about the nightmares, but she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. She was a bit like Dumbledore sometimes, she thought to herself, but she supposed that in Kelly's case, it was less about magic, and more about nosiness and hidden cameras.

"I know you will. You're a St. Trinian now." Kelly smiled widely, and then sobered a little, "and you know that when you're ready to talk about the rest of it, I'll be ready to listen. You're not alone, and you don't have to deal with everything yourself."

"I know that, and thank you, I appreciate it." She reached over and squeezed Kelly's knee, and then stood from the wall. "Come on then, if we don't go soon we'll miss the end of the hockey practice."

The two girls were soon on their way up the road again, and as Annabelle directed Kelly where to leave the bike (they would cover the last quarter of a mile on foot) she felt some of the tightness in her chest begin to ease. She didn't know when, if ever, she'd be able to talk about what happened. But she had shared some of it, and Kelly hadn't pressed her for more, she hadn't asked questions, she had just listened. That was a start.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer in part one.

Sorry for the long wait. I can't promise the next part will be any sooner, but most of it is written...

Part Four

As Kelly pushed the bike over behind some bushes, Annabelle took out a razor sharp pocket knife, and cut some branches from another bush. She laid them over the bike while Kelly took some dark coloured cloths from her backpack and used them to cover up the chrome. Satisfied that the bike was not easily noticeable the two girls walked the fifty metres back to the main path.

"So about a quarter of a mile from here then?" Kelly asked as they came out onto the path.

"About that, yeah," Annabelle confirmed. She took Kelly's arm and started down the path, "c'mon, we'd better get going or we won't be in place in time." Her heart was racing again, but this time she was determined to ignore it. After all, she had already faced off with Verity, what could be worse than that?

"What do you mean, 'in place'?" Kelly asked, as the two girls hurried along the well worn path.

"The day girls always cut through here on their way to the bus after practice, so if we're not through this part of the woods before practice ends we'll get caught. We should be fine though, we've still got about fifteen minutes." Annabelle only then realised that she still held the older girl's arm in her grasp and quickly let go, "oh, sorry."

The two walked on for a bit before Kelly smiled slightly, and bumped Annabelle's shoulder, saying, "I didn't really mind, you know."

The rest of their walk went on in silence, until they came upon the hockey pitches. Two grass pitches and two gravel pitches side by side, with a fenced in astro-turf pitch at the end of the row. The Cheltenham girls were using the closest gravel pitch. Most of the girls were on the pitch, involved in a practice game, and about six others were sitting on the sidelines watching the play and chatting amongst themselves. Annabelle felt her heart pick up in speed again as she noticed Verity around the half-way line, about to get involved in a tackle. She suddenly wished she hadn't let go of Kelly earlier on.

Careful to remain behind the tree line, the two girls edged their way closer to the pitch, finally settling in a spot around ten metres from the group of girls at the edge of the pitch, behind a large gorse bush. "So, are we set on the plan?" Kelly asked, taking off her backpack and removing some of the contents. The two girls sat side-by-side, cross-legged on the grass, sorting through their supplies.

"Yes," Annabelle nodded, quickly looking over at Kelly, but never really taking her eyes off the girls on the pitch. "I think our best bet at getting into the equipment is during dinner, so we're probably best saving that for last. After practice the girls will go back to the pavilion for showers and a team meeting, then the day girls will head home – there's only about three of them – and the boarders will have to head back into the school to finish homework. That's our best time to do our other work, we just need to stay clear of the sports complex; the teachers will be around."

"So we're lying low here until the brats go inside to change."

"Yes, then I think we should try and listen in on the team meeting – they'll probably talk tactics for a while. We'll be able to hide just outside the window to that room."

"Brilliant. Then we lie low again and wait for them to go home, or go inside and start studying?"

"Yes, then we can start on the rest of the grounds, just need to stay away from this end."

"But we can get to this end of the grounds once the teachers go inside for dinner too?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, sounds like you have it all planned out," she smiled at the younger girl, she'd really come on over the last month or so since the heist.

Annabelle smiled back, taking in a deep breath, "guess so."

Kelly eyed her for a moment, taking in her balled fists and rigid shoulders, and the eyes that wouldn't meet her own. "They didn't just bully you here, did they? It was something else."

Annabelle's eyes snapped up to meet hers, a breath catching in her throat, "no, it was more than that."

Kelly nodded, she'd figured. The curiosity was killing her, and she was worried about her friend, but she wasn't going to push her to disclose it all before she was ready. "Don't worry; you don't have to tell me now." She rested her hand on the younger girl's shoulder in an attempt to lend some comfort.

The warmth from her friend's hand on her shoulder flooded through Annabelle, and she gave a small smile, "I know, I will tell you. It's going to take longer than we have now though."

"That's ok. Like I said, don't push yourself if you're not ready."

Annabelle turned her head to smile softly again at the older girl, lifting her hand up to her shoulder to join her friend's. "Soon, ok?" She leaned forward as the girls on the pitch broke up from their team huddle and headed in the direction of the white pavilion at the other end of the sports-ground. "Looks like we've got work to do," she smiled as she stood from her position on the ground.

Kelly smiled widely as Annabelle's eyes lit up at the thought of causing havoc. She really was turning into a proper St. Trinian.

TBC


End file.
